The building of car washes normally requires expertise in several different areas. After a suitable location has been secured, the floor plan of the building must be laid and the car washing equipment position determined. The building generally consists of a "tunnel" (in which the car washing equipment is located and where the car is washed) and a "mechanical room" where the controls for the equipment are kept. The distribution and delivery of power and supplies to such equipment must then be designed. Since each car wash building is slightly different, each layout for the equipment is also slightly different, and the design of a system for the distribution and delivery of supplies for the equipment previously required individual attention for each car wash. The design and installation of such a system requires considerable expertise in the areas of plumbing, electricity and hydraulics. Skilled plumbers and electricians employed in the construction must also be specifically experienced in car wash equipment.
Until now, the building of a car wash in a remote location required a considerable expenditure of time and effort. It was required that the builder travel to the location in order to contract skilled electricians, plumbers, and equipment installation personnel in order to ensure their availability as necessary for the installation.
Once these experienced technicians had been scheduled, it was required that they design, and subsequently install chemical, electrical and hydraulic distribution systems to deliver supplies to the equipment to be used in the car wash. This required a large expenditure of time and concerted effort by these skilled technicians, resulting in a high cost to the builder.
After installation of the equipment and supply distribution and delivery systems, these systems were subject to inspection and approval by local officials. In view of the fact that the systems were designed and built specifically for the single car wash in which they were located, these inspections were often rigorous. Occasionally parts of the systems might need to be replaced in order to meet municipal codes. Additionally, the entire design and installation would have to be supervised by representatives of the builder in order to ensure the system met the builder's standards.
Other problems with prior car wash supply distribution systems include a difficulty in servicing defective or worn out parts such as valves or solenoids because they may be permanently installed as parts of the plumbing. Additionally these valves or solenoids may be located in the car wash tunnel, increasing the deleterious exposure to chemicals and water used in the car washing process.
The plumbing, hydraulic and electrical lines must normally be secured to the walls of the car wash tunnel for support. This greatly hinders the task of cleaning the walls of the tunnel. Dirt and grime are thus more likely to accumulate and associated problems arise.
If the supplies of chemicals were also located in the car wash tunnel, the tunnel itself might need to be heated, as some of the chemicals would suffer adverse effects from low temperatures. If this were the case (as it normally is in northern climes) an additional problem arises since the viscosity of the concentrated chemicals to be used in the car wash increases substantially at low temperatures. This causes problems in the dilution of the chemical since the viscosity affects the dilution at the venturi (Dema) valve.